About Begging to Differ

Ours is an association unique to the Internet age. None of us has ever met face-to-face. But neither are we strangers. For years, each of us had participated in on-line discussions centering at first around Duke basketball, then shifting focus to include such topics as the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton, the 2000 presidential election, and the implications of September 11, 2001.

Our name—Begging To Differ—comes from our connection as Duke fans and former Cameron Crazies. If Cameron Crazies are known for anything, it is for being witty and ruthless, but not vulgar. One infamous day in the winter of 1984, however, the Crazies crossed the line, prompting Duke’s then-president, Terry Sanford, to write his legendary "avuncular letter" to the student body. In it, Uncle Terry gently chastised the Cameron Crazies:

It is generally assumed that a person resorting in conversation to profanity and obscenities is short of an adequate vocabulary. That is doubly true of public utterances.

Resorting to the use of obscenities in cheers and chants at ball games indicates a lack of vocabulary, a lack of cleverness, a lack of ideas, a lack of class, and a lack of respect for other people. We are, I am sorry to report, gaining an unequaled reputation as a student body that doesn't have a touch of class.

I don't think we need to be crude and obscene to be effectively enthusiastic. We can cheer and taunt with style; that should be the Duke trademark. Crudeness, profanity, and cheapness should not be our reputation, but it is.

I suggest we change. Talk this matter over in your various residential houses. Think of something clever but clean, devastating but decent, mean but wholesome, witty and forceful but G-rated for television, and try it at the next game.

The Crazies rose to Uncle Terry’s challenge. At the next game—against archrival UNC, no less—they wore angel costumes complete with tinfoil halos. They held signs saying “Welcome Fellow Scholars” and “A Warm and Hearty Welcome to Dean Smith.” When they disagreed with a foul call, they eschewed obscenities in favor of chants of "We beg to differ! We beg to differ!"

The four of us have become enchanted with the international conversation known as the "blogosphere.” However, as even a casual weblog-reader will tell you, this conversation has its pros and cons. On the one hand, we can appreciate the adversarial nature of the blogosphere, with independent voices vigorously staking their own positions and critiquing those of others. While weblogging can be a vehicle for discovering truth through the adversarial approach, the conversation frequently becomes shrill, polarized, and disrespectful.

With "Begging to Differ," we intend to take a different approach. We intend to embrace Terry Sanford's wisdom as much as four very opinionated people can. We intend to offer scattershot opinions about politics, law and culture. We've purposely gathered four unique perspectives. Two of us lean conservative; two of us lean leftward. We intend to vigorously disagree with other bloggers, with each other, perhaps sometimes even with ourselves. Though we reserve the right to agree on occasion, for the most part we beg to differ.

UPDATE: On February 9, 2004, Begging to Differ added three new posters, Venkat, Nick and Hei Lun. Though none of our new colleagues has any connection to Duke University, each shares our vision for what this website hopes to accomplish. Other than Nick and Hei Lun, it remains true that none of us has ever met in person.